Somali government and Al Shabaab in unison deny any peace rapprochement

Both the Somali government and the jihadist organization Al Shabaab have denied any attempt at a peace rapprochement in a virtually simultaneous double denial of Somalia’s Deputy Defense Minister Abdifatá Qasim Mohamud, who yesterday announced a negotiating approach by the terrorist group.

The official denial came from national security advisor Husein Shaykh Ali in a message to the Somali affiliate of the US international radio station Voice of America.

“The (deputy) minister has told us that he was misinterpreted. Our policy towards the group remains the same,” he said, referring to the “total war” declared by Somali President Husein Shaykh Mohamud.

However, the advisor did confirm, as the deputy minister said at the time, that any Somali citizen belonging to the group can surrender to the government and undergo “a formal amnesty process”.

For its part, the jihadist group has also denied any diplomatic efforts. “These statements have no basis whatsoever. There are no talks between us, nor can there be,” an unnamed senior official of the organization told the same media outlet.

Source: msn